Dating Show Side Character, Getting Rich by Roasting People

CHAPTER 69: Couple Variety Show

　　Sheng Yi lay stretched out on the sofa, hands folded behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling.

　　Even though they had separate rooms.

　　Even though he was the one stuck sleeping on the sofa.

　　His mood was still ridiculously good.

　　Just earlier, Chu Ling had said that she trusted him.

　　With her kind of personality, for her to say she trusted him… didn’t that mean he was at least someone special in her eyes?

　　Sheng Yi basked in that thought for a while, turning over with a little smile. But then another idea popped into his head.

　　From another angle, did that mean she only saw him as a ¹girlfriend substitute, someone she didn’t have to guard against at all?

　　If that was the case… did he even stand a chance?

　　His mood instantly took a nosedive.

　　And so he tossed and turned the whole night, swinging between delight and despair, caught in a tangle of contradictions that left him barely able to sleep.

　　As a result, when Chu Ling woke up early to review the financial report, looking at the stream of negative emotions Sheng Yi had spewed out, a question popped up in her head.

　　What now, my young master?

　　Don’t tell me you’re sulking just because I made you sleep on the sofa last night?

　　—

　　After Sheng Yi and Chu Ling got ready early in the morning, they headed out to join the variety show.

　　The host appeared first, waving at the camera. “Welcome to Love Is a Battle to Win!”

　　This couple reality show was broadcast live, airing once a week. The daytime segments focused on games and missions, while at night viewers got to see clips of the couples’ daily interactions.

　　The host began by introducing the two regular guest couples.

　　First was the “Perfect Match” CP, Xie Qing and He Ming, a married pair of actors. Their performances were consistently solid, so their popularity stayed high.

　　Next was the “Made for Each Other” CP, Xia Yi and Yuan Tiantian, internet influencers who had risen to fame through their couple VLOGs. Their skills in the games were average at best, but their lovey-dovey sweetness and constant PDA kept fans hooked.

　　After the introductions, the host smiled at the camera. “Today, we’re welcoming two new couples. The first pair just officially got together on another dating show, and they’ve been one of the most requested couples by viewers.”

　　【It’s our Overbearing CP power couple!!】

　　【Finally, my favorite duo is here!!!】

　　【I saw the preview yesterday. I can’t believe we get more so soon. I must be the happiest fan alive, hahaha.】

　　【Who even believes they’re real? The dating show just ended and they’re already jumping onto another one. Manufactured sugar much?】

　　【I’ll just sit here quietly and watch this contract couple act their way through it.】

　　The host raised his hand. “Let’s welcome Chu Ling and Sheng Yi!”

　　The camera pulled back.

　　Chu Ling and Sheng Yi stepped out hand-in-hand, both dressed in matching yellow team uniforms.

　　【They’re holding hands!!】

　　【It looks so natural!!】

　　【This post-show sweetness came so fast, I feel spoiled.】

　　【Who cares if it’s real or fake? As long as they feed us, they’re a good CP in my book.】

　　【Just look at those faces side by side. Perfect match, period. If you can’t ship it, that’s on you.】

　　Chu Ling tightened her fingers around Sheng Yi’s, quietly letting out a breath of relief.

　　To get comfortable with holding hands, they had practiced not just last night but also during the entire car ride that morning. At least now it no longer felt stiff and awkward.

　　When they reached the cameras, she instinctively tried to loosen her grip, but Sheng Yi kept his fingers locked firmly with hers.

　　Chu Ling blinked in surprise, her heartbeat skipping off rhythm for a moment.

　　The host clapped his hands. “Welcome, both of you.”

　　In stark contrast to yesterday’s cold shoulders, the “Perfect Match” couple, Xie Qing and He Ming, now put on an overly warm smile.

　　“Welcome, welcome!”

　　“We’ve heard about you two for a while. What a surprise to finally meet you here, we’re so happy.”

　　Chu Ling: “…”

　　Two-faced, much?

　　Meanwhile, the “Made for Each Other” couple also gave them a polite greeting.

　　The host asked, “According to tradition, every couple on our show needs a CP name. What’s yours?”

　　“We honestly haven’t thought about it ourselves.”

　　Chu Ling paused for a moment, then smiled. “But I know our fans have already given us one. Why don’t we just go with that?”

　　She said clearly, “Overbearing CP.”

　　【Holy crap, our CP name actually got the official stamp of approval from Chu Ling herself!】

　　【But wait, this wasn’t even created by fans in the beginning. It was a nickname haters used to mock them!】

　　【Now it’s been turned into the official name by Queen Chu’s big heart. I’m dying, the people who made it as an insult must be fuming right now.】

　　【Honestly though, with their personalities, it’s hard to come up with anything more fitting.】

　　【If you really wanted alternatives, technically their numbers 1-1-0-0 could make them the “Binary CP.”】

　　【...Compared to that, Overbearing CP sounds way better. It gives off this wicked villain-couple vibe, kind of refreshing.】

　　【Make way, the villain power couple is about to take over the entire arena!】

　　The host blinked in surprise. He had heard of the name before, but he hadn’t expected Chu Ling to just go with it so openly.

　　After all, the name did carry a bit of a negative edge.

　　But Chu Ling herself seemed more than fine with it.

　　It was catchy, sharp, and loud, the kind of name that made them sound like a pair of troublemakers no one should mess with.

　　Aside from Overbearing CP, there was also another guest couple joining this episode.

　　They were a newly official pair, still looking a little stiff as they stepped onstage and awkwardly greeted the cameras.

　　【I ship them too! They just announced their relationship a few days ago, so sweet!】

　　【But why do they look so awkward? Is it because this is their first time on a live reality show?】

　　【Wait, did anyone else catch Overbearing CP whispering in the corner?】

　　【What are they saying? Why am I, a paying VIP, not allowed to hear this!】

　　Sheng Yi lowered his head, leaning closer to Chu Ling as he muttered, “So… out of everyone here, we’re the least popular, huh?”

　　“In terms of ranking, yeah.”

　　Chu Ling said, “But when it comes to attention, that might not be the case.”

　　With her natural magnetism as a walking headline machine, once the episode aired, she was certain the spotlight would land on them anyway.

　　Of course, that didn’t mean she could slack off. “We still need to give it our all. Let’s make sure we steal every shot we can.”

　　Sheng Yi glanced toward the “Perfect Match” CP and raised a brow. “What if we end up offending the seniors?”

　　Judging from yesterday’s attitude, that couple didn’t exactly seem easy to deal with.

　　All the better.

　　If she could even rile up the seniors’ fans, that would only help her rake in more buzz.

　　Chu Ling arched a brow at him and teased, “What, are you scared?”

　　Meeting the challenge in her gaze, Sheng Yi didn’t back down. “Not at all.”

　　Once the introductions wrapped up, the host brought the flow back on track. “Every new couple on our show has to face a compatibility test.”

　　“I heard Sheng Yi and Chu Ling only got together recently. Does that mean this test might be a little difficult for you two?”

　　Chu Ling shot Sheng Yi a glance, her tone full of confidence. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

　　“Alright then, please come forward and draw your challenge.”

　　Chu Ling nudged Sheng Yi with her finger. “You do it.”

　　“Me?”

　　She pulled a mock-tragic face. “I was born with terrible luck. It’s safer if you handle it.”

　　Sheng Yi was speechless.

　　The truth was, his luck wasn’t much better.

　　But since Chu Ling had already said so, he obediently stepped forward and pulled out a slip of paper.

　　This way, whether it was good or bad, the result would fall on him alone.

　　He unfolded the paper for the cameras:【Quick-fire compatibility quiz】.

　　“Oh, a rapid-fire Q&A. This doesn’t just test your chemistry, it also checks if your tastes and hobbies match up.”

　　The host grinned. “I’ll be asking the questions. You’ll need to answer at the same time within one second. Let’s see just how in sync a couple of only half a month can be.”

　　“First question: do you prefer cats or dogs?”

　　The two of them answered in perfect unison, “Cats.”

　　“Rainy days or sunny days?”

　　Again, they spoke at the same time. “Sunny.”

　　……

　　After dozens of rapid-fire questions, Chu Ling and Sheng Yi somehow gave nearly identical answers every single time.

　　【This level of chemistry is unreal!】

　　【A hundred percent match rate, are they actual soulmates?】

　　【Don’t forget, in Heartbeat Lab’s dating questionnaire segment, they were paired together back then too.】

　　【Yeah, and I remember both of them didn’t even take the test seriously. It’s like they’ve always had this strange kind of synchronicity.】

　　【Our “Overbearing CP” is too perfect!!】

　　From the outside, they looked effortlessly in sync, perfectly matched in every way.

　　But the truth was, the night before, Chu Ling had suddenly remembered something right before bed. She turned to Sheng Yi. “If tomorrow they hit us with a compatibility quiz, should we go over some answers in advance?”

　　“How are we supposed to do that?” Sheng Yi asked. “The production team never gave us any hints, not even the format.”

　　At best, they could make guesses based on past seasons, but the questions were always different.

　　They weren’t Qin Shuo, after all, who had the inside scoop and could cheat his way through.

　　Chu Ling rested her chin in her palm, thinking. “If it’s an activity-based challenge, then fine. But if it’s a Q&A, we should start memorizing each other’s personal details now—background, experiences, hobbies, all of it.”

　　“?!” Sheng Yi almost choked.

　　He couldn’t help laughing. “Do we really need to go that far?”

　　But when he thought about it, he didn’t actually mind. If Chu Ling was willing to share those things with him, he could know her better. And she’d know him better too.

　　“Of course. First impressions matter.”

　　Chu Ling snapped her fingers and added, “If it turns out to be something like quick-response questions, then it’s even simpler. No matter what they ask, we always pick A first, then B. That way, we’ll definitely match.”

________________

Glossary:

¹“girlfriend substitute” means:

👉 She might treat him like a close female friend instead of a man.

So instead of seeing him as a potential boyfriend or romantic partner, she sees him as if he’s just another “female friend” in her life — someone safe, trustworthy, and not threatening at all.

…..

T/N: Hehe, sorry about yesterday~ I totally had zero mood to translate. My energy bar was empty, and I didn’t even want to move at all. Do you ever feel like that too? Just wanting to lie down and do nothing, recharging quietly on your own.

 

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